BOSTON — Presumptive Boston city council president Gabriella Coletta-Zapata sparked a scene inside an East Boston polling center this summer after snapping at a Boston police officer who told her she couldn’t linger near voters — insisting she “wasn’t campaigning” and demanding to know how long he’d been on the force.

The confrontation unfolded inside the BCYF Paris Street Community Center in East Boston during summer preliminary polling, where Coletta-Zapata was speaking with residents inside the voting area. That’s when a Boston police officer approached and informed her she needed to step outside because elected officials aren’t allowed to remain inside the polling area while voters are present.

Mass Daily News obtained exclusive body-camera footage showing the exchange, which captures Coletta-Zapata raising her voice at the officer after he instructed her to step outside the polling area.

It’s not clear from the footage whether Coletta-Zapata was there to cast a ballot. If she wasn’t voting, her reason for being inside the restricted polling area is unknown.

“This is the first time I’ve had a police officer come over to me,” Coletta-Zapata said on video, raising her voice. “I am having a conversation with constituents right now and I am not campaigning.”

The officer responded that he could not have her within the polling area and offered to show her the paperwork confirming the rules. Coletta-Zapata fired back that she had already seen it and snapped, “So can I just finish my thought with him? We are talking about policy! I am not campaigning.”

“Yeah, outside,” the officer replied.

Coletta-Zapata pushed back again. “I am not asking for anybody’s vote here, so there’s a difference! And I appreciate you, but this is the first time I’ve ever done this,” she said, before pointedly asking the officer, “How many years have you worked for the Boston Police force?!”

“Seven,” he answered.

Seconds later, Coletta-Zapata left the polling center after effectively being kicked out — ending a tense exchange inside the voting site.

The incident comes as Coletta-Zapata prepares to assume the council presidency in January, a role that requires close coordination with city departments, including the Boston Police Department. The video shows an officer enforcing the standard electioneering restrictions, which bar elected officials and campaign activity inside the polling place while voters are present.

Coletta-Zapata insisted throughout the exchange that she was not campaigning and was only discussing “policy,” though the officer told her the rules still required her to step outside.

Mass Daily News has reached out to Coletta-Zapata’s office for comment and has yet to hear back.